


A Therapy Werewolf

by Amaranthkick



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Gen, M/M, Non-Consensual Body Modification, Shiro (Voltron) Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Werewolf Lance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-18
Updated: 2018-02-25
Packaged: 2018-12-03 20:53:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11540241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amaranthkick/pseuds/Amaranthkick
Summary: Lance wasn't one of the toughest werewolves out there but he loved his pack and family very much. When he was younger and learned his uncle suffered from PTSD he took inspiration from therapy dogs in order to help him. His love for his family extends to his space family as well so when he pieces that Shiro has PTSD as well, he desires to help him too.





	1. Chapter 1

Back home Lance wasn’t the strongest werewolf in his family, in fact he was one of the smallest. He held the title runt of the litter til he had even younger siblings who were smaller than him only because they were younger. 

When he was young his werewolf form looked like a semi-grown dog than a wolf. But his family loved him all the same and he loved them so much too.

So when he learned that his uncle was struggling with PTSD he wanted to help him in any way he could. Then Lance found out about how therapy dogs helped their owners immensely. He read that they could sense oncoming panic attacks or building anxiety and help their owners calm down.

But therapy dogs were hard to get where he lived so Lance thought of the next best thing. In Lance’s young kid mind he thought that (were-)wolves and dogs were pretty similar so maybe he could teach himself to learn the signs that his uncle might be in a tight spot and be able to do something about it. Also he looked like a dog enough to walk alongside his uncle whenever they went out. His uncle huffed thinking it was just a silly kid thing and let him do as he pleased. He never expected for it to actually help him feel more relaxed and in control.

First Lance managed to train his ears to focus on people’s heart rate and their breathing. In the beginning he could only hear them up close but he practiced hard to increase is range. Then he learned to spot when the heart rate or breathing started to change. Lance got pretty good at detecting when his uncle or anyone in his family needed a distraction.

His uncle and family were grateful for all his help but they could see the way he looked at the stars after learning about the Galaxy Garrison and one of their up-and-coming top pilot Takashi Shirogane. Lance’s parents convinced him to chase his dreams of being a pilot. “You’re taking lots of first steps for a werewolf, first a therapy werewolf then a werewolf pilot isn’t so out there.” They teased but Lance could see hints of pride in their eyes. They believed he could do it.

So when he was accepted they had a tearful farewell party wishing him luck and his mom assured him not to worry about them and they’ll keep in contact.

A couple years later Lance would pilot the Blue Lion and be whisked away to a fight in a 10,000 year war along with Hunk, Pidge, Keith, and Shiro.

—

Lance placed his temple on the cool glass window in a hallway of the castle overlooking space as they were hidden in away in a remote side of the universe. Deep space looked like a crystal clear view of the night sky. Lance sighed. There was only one thing missing, the moon.

He never knew how much the moon really affected him til it was missing. It’s constant pull that left a reassuring thrum in his veins, the way that it seemed to be singing whenever it was in the sky, and just its presence in the sky giving soft light in the dark of night. He missed all of it but most of all it reminded him of how far away from his family he really was. Lance hoped they were doing alright and that they weren’t too worried about him.

Lance was too lost in thought to notice Shiro walking up to him. “…Lance?”

Lance nearly jumped two feet in the air, clearly not expecting anyone to be awake this late at night castle time. “Geez Shiro warn a guy next time before you sneak up all ninja like.”

Shiro placed his hands up in a placating manner and gave an apologetic smile. “Sorry, sorry. Just wanted to make sure you’re alright. What are you doing up so late?”

“O-oh just you know,” Lance gestured at the window, “enjoying the view. I know there is a lot of fighting going on with this space war but it really is beautiful out here.” He hoped to remind Shiro that space wasn’t all endless fighting or the dark year of his imprisonment but also endless beauty and wonder.

Shiro’s gaze softened as he looked at Lance and he nodded. Then he turned to look out the window too to see colorful shades of nebula clouds and the sprinkle of stars all around. He seemed content to stay in this peaceful silence. The sight having a calming affect on him.

Lance could guess that Shiro had a nightmare and was trying to walk it off. His heart rate was still higher than normal but quickly settling back. He also thought about that time when the castle malfunctioned because of the crystal. Shiro seemed haunted by a cryogenically frozen Sendak like his mind was playing tricks on him.

Shiro had PTSD, he concluded. Not surprising considering everything he’s been through. But was he hiding it? His leader didn’t seem to be asking for the help he really needs from Coran or from anyone.

…Oh. Shiro was the leader. He probably tried to shoulder all of the expectations of one. Shiro most likely didn’t want to show any weakness or admit that things would slip out of his control. That settled it, he was going to help ease the burdens of those expectations even just a little bit. Whether Shiro knew it or not, Lance was going to be his secret therapy dog.

—

Lance offered to walk with Shiro back to their rooms. He didn’t make a big deal out of it but thought that Shiro could use the company. He was grateful Shiro seemed more relaxed than when Shiro first found him looking out the window in one of the hallways.

Back in his room however, something dawned on Lance. He hadn’t tried to transform into a werewolf out here in space. He tried to will his body to change. But nothing happened, his muscles and bones stayed where they were instead of rearranging. Why couldn’t he transform? What was missing?

The moon. He couldn’t feel its pull, maybe that’s why. Did it just have to be Earth’s moon or could he change so long as he was on a planet with a moon? Lance would have to check his theory when they were on planets with moons to see if he could transform then.

Aww but that meant that he wasn’t able to be a large canine for Shiro to pet or relax around. Although he still had his heightened senses so he was still able to tell if Shiro could use a little help.

He decided not to tell the team either about being a werewolf. They were still considered myths to humans and preferred it that way than say being dissected to see how they tick. And besides they were in space most of the time so he won’t be able to transform enough for it to be useful or prove it to his team.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some small stories of Lance being a comforting presence or needed distraction for Shiro.

Each person was different so Lance had to carefully observe Shiro and learn what set him off or what would cause problems for him. Did he get hyper vigilant or paranoid? What reminded him of his year with the galra? Would he get overwhelmed by crowds?

Lance only had what his uncle would go through to go on. But he would adjust from there and find just the right ways to subtly help Shiro.

* * *

Lance and Shiro were assigned to find coolant crystals from an icy planet. They had to traverse through the ice caves on foot seeing that their speeders couldn’t fit through.

The freezing air in the ice cave felt unsettlingly similar to cold back on the galra ship. It felt like the walls were too close trapping him in a small room again. No. He had to remain calm, he was still in the middle of a mission. Shiro continued to push forward even when his chest felt tight like he was being crushed by stone.

He was startled out of his thoughts when Lance blurted out, “Hey Shiro! Check this out!”

Shiro turned to find Lance doing silly flexing poses in front of a reflective ice wall. Since the wall was wobbly, his reflection looked positively buff and very dorito shaped. Shiro couldn’t stop the laughter bubbling up.

He rolled his eyes amused by the blue paladin’s antics. “Haha, alright tough guy let’s get going.” Shiro’s smile widened when Lance beamed at him. As they walked onward Shiro felt a little lighter than before.

* * *

All the paladins and the princess were invited to a party to celebrate a newly established alliance.

The avian aliens tended to step into people’s personal bubble when they talked. They didn’t mean any harm as that was how they usually acted. But it can get a bit much at times. So when anyone was uncomfortable Lance would grab the attention of the aliens and away from the humans so they could get a breather. Lance loved talking to the aliens they always had something interesting to tell him.

Shiro looked uncomfortable as well. He seemed distressed actually. Maybe these aliens reminded him of a fellow prisoner he couldn’t save. Lance had to step in. So Lance tapped the alien on the shoulder and roped him into conversation about if they could fly with their arm wings.

In between his talk with the avian Lance asked Shiro if he could get him a drink. The food and beverage table area was pretty empty which could give him a quiet moment to gather himself.

By the time he was finished and waved goodbye to his new friend Shiro was relaxed and bringing him his drink. Shiro took a swig of his own only to spit it out all over Lance. Its taste must not have agreed with him. Lance giggled when Shiro started to apologise profusely. Lance assured him it was alright.

If Shiro was calm enough to have had his guard down so much so that an awful-tasting drink had taken him by surprise then Lance didn’t mind being covered in backwash.

* * *

The castle had been parked on a relatively uninhabited planet while they did repairs on it. It was the middle of the night cycle and Lance was at the same window in the hallway looking at the night sky.

There was a lovely moon in the sky. It was smaller than Earth’s moon. The team has visited a few planets with moon but most didn’t have that familiar pull and he couldn’t transform with them. But this moon, this small bright moon had a voice. He could hear light singing just like back home. It had a different sound and was a different song but it caused warm memories of him play fighting with his siblings as werewolves on nights like these to rise up. Lance’s heart thrummed in contentment.

The side of his face was against the refreshingly cool glass and his eyes were closed enjoying the peaceful moment. Only to jump when he noticed someone’s presence right beside him.

Of course it was Shiro who looked apologetic again. “I really need to get you a bell or something. My heart can’t take this.”

“Sorry, it’s just you seemed really calm there and I didn’t want to disturb.” He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. “Also I wanted to make sure you didn’t fall asleep right here.”

Lance snorted. He wondered if he should ask why Shiro was up even though he knew it was because of a nightmare again. But Shiro spoke up first, “If you don’t mind me asking what’s got you in a good mood this time.” He had a small tentative smile almost as if he was shyly asking for Lance to reveal a promising secret.

“The moon.” Lance chuckled at Shiro’s confused look. “What, I can’t appreciate the moon?”

“Now, now I didn’t say that.”

“Well, you were looking at me like I’m a-,” Lance busted out his biggest grin, “ _lunatic_.”

Shiro looked shocked for a moment then hid his laughter behind his hand, “Ahaha, oh Lance, that was- heh- awful.”

Lance beamed with pride as Shiro continued to laugh. He did that.

“…Anyways, it’s just that the night sky seems similar to back home even if it is tinted green and we’re very far from Earth. The moon really settles it for me like you know what they say, ‘the more things change the more they stay the same’ or something like that.” Lance gazed fondly at the celestial body in the sky.

“I think I get what you’re saying.” He turned to look at the gorgeous view as well. A comforting silence wrapping around them like a soft plush blanket. Shiro didn’t know why but just being with Lance seemed to relax him recently.


	3. Chapter 3

“You seem more relaxed like before the whole Kerberos mission.” Keith pointed out one day.

“Do I?” Shiro tilted his head. He didn’t feel all that different. He didn’t remember trying anything new.

“Yeah, you look less stiff, if that makes sense. …And I think Lance might have something to do with it.”

“Lance?” Sure he felt more comfortable in Lance’s presence and that they had those peaceful moments looking out the window during the night and whenever he had a nightmare Lance always seemed to find him then the next thing he knew he was back in bed ready to try to sleep again when it would usually take hours for that to happen…

Ok now that he thought about it, Lance has been helping him calm down a lot even on missions when they were assigned together. Lance wasn’t making a big show of it either, he made it seem natural and was so happy to just be around him. Shiro smiled softly to himself, something about Lance always being there for him whenever he needed without him having to say a word warmed his heart.

Shiro blushed and chuckled sheepishly when he caught Keith giving him a flat look.

* * *

The paladins were resting from a full day of training. Allura decided to land the castle on a nearby planet and planned for who to send to gather supplies. The side of the planet the castle landed was right in the beginning of dusk, a large moon already overhead.

Lance woke up in terrible pain. It felt like his bones were ready to snap and his muscles were being torn apart. He curled up tightly into himself clutching at his chest.

Lance could feel an oppressive pull from a nearby moon. He’s never felt anything like it. It’s song was aggressive- no, cautious? The song was urging him to transform in an effort to feel safe. It took all his willpower to keep his body from transforming.

Naturally, changing into a werewolf always involved some pain dulled over with practice because his insides would rearrange to accommodate his new form. But this pain was too intense. All his muscles and bones were painfully shifting towards werewolf or back to human form.

He was scared. Lance had never transformed in these conditions before. Would he retain his mentality if he changed with this moon? He would never forgive himself if he hurt his friends while under a strange moon’s influence. Lance let out a pitiful whimper. He didn’t know what to do.

* * *

The team was eating their food goo, preparing to go on a supply run on the planet they landed on. All except for Lance, the lack of the blue paladin’s presence was noticeable. The quiet was surprisingly loud.

Shiro sighed as he stood up, “I’ll go check up on him.” He tried to push down his growing worries. Lance was fine, he was probably sleeping in. They did have a rough day of training after all.

His concern sprung back up when he heard a small whine coming from Lance’s room.

The door slid open as Shiro approached. He saw Lance curled up tightly, his face scrunched up expressing his pain. “Lance!? Are you alright?”

Lance opened his mouth to answer but only let out a sad whimper, “hurts…”

“What hurts, Lance?” Shiro made his voice as soothing as he could and brushed his flesh hand softly against the other’s cheek. Only to pull back immediately when Lance visibly flinched and let out a pained grunt.

From the touch, Lance seemed feverish. Now that Shiro was up close he could see that he was drenched in sweat and breathing raggedly as if he was struggling for hours. Shiro calmly assured him, “hang in there Lance, I’ll get Coran and Allura to find what’s wrong.”

Shiro left quickly to get the aid Lance needed as fast as he could. He didn’t hear the desperate whisper calling out for him to wait.

Lance could howl in sorrow right now. It took most of his focus and concentration to keep from transforming. Already if he spoke up any louder a guttural growl would accompany his voice. One little slip and he would go under. He understood Shiro getting more help for a teammate in pain but the last thing he needed was more distractions even if they were full of good intentions.

* * *

Shiro was getting more and more worried as Lance continued to refuse any help without any explanations. The whole team was looking into the room from right from outside, concern written on all their faces. He was kneeling at Lance’s bedside and quietly pleaded, “Please Lance, tell us what’s wrong.”

He frowned when Lance didn’t answer. Shiro made to get up but stopped when he heard a tiny voice, “off… planet… please?”

“You want to get off this planet?” Shiro repeated out loud for the rest of the team to hear. Everyone looked at each other confused. Could a planet cause physical pain? It wasn’t affecting anyone else either.

Lance looked at him eyes moist as he nodded. Shiro sighed, he couldn’t really argue. This seemed to have started when they landed on this new planet. Hopefully if they at least left the planet’s orbit then the pain would stop. It was worth a shot. “Allura, you think we could take the castle off the planet just to see if it’ll help?”

Allura looked really skeptical, Coran had done a scan of the planet and found nothing relatively harmful for Alteans or for humans. But as she was about to give her answer an explosion could be heard from somewhere in the castle. “Coran! What was that!?”

It turns out all the battles with the galra were taking its toll on the castle thrusters.

Allura sighed heavily then nodded to everyone. “Alright. Coran, Hunk you two work on fixing the thrusters. The rest of us will gather supplies we can get from this planet so we’ll be ready to leave this planet. Although one of us has to watch over Lance. He’ll stay here where it’s safe… and I don’t think he is in any condition to move.”

Shiro volunteered instantly, “I’ll look after him.”

When Allura left with Keith and Pidge they didn’t see the creature crawling in the shadows that snuck into the Castle looking for prey.

* * *

Lance kept shaking his head whenever Shiro offered him anything, water, food. Lance refused all of it.

Lance could smell the distress rolling off Shiro as he started to leave his room. Lance didn’t want Shiro thinking any of this might be his fault. “Shiro, I’m sorry…”

Shiro stuttered to a stop very surprised. He turned to face Lance. “Lance, you have nothing to apologize for. Just try to get some rest. I’ll come back with some water and food. Please try to get some in you ok?” Shiro smiled when Lance nodded willing to try.

As soon as Shiro was out of range Lance let out a groan. Something new entered his territory. He could feel it as if it was crawling on his skin. His territorial instincts were screaming at him to make sure it’s not a threat or to get rid of it. It was urging his body to try even harder to transform. Fur, fangs, and claws started to grow in. Lance ripped the fabric of his sheets that he was gripping.

—

Shiro was walking back to Lance’s room with a packet of water and a bowl of food goo in hand. He stopped at a familiar window where light was filtering in. Shiro looked at the moon outside his heart aching. He felt so useless. Lance always seemed to know just how to help him from simply grounding him in the present when he was starting to get anxious to calming him down when he had a panic attack. He wanted to help him in return. But nothing was working.

Shiro was so lost in thought he didn’t notice the creature expertly stalking him. It stayed well-hidden out of sight and hardly made a sound with its oddly jointed legs.

Shiro dropped everything when he heard Lance screaming. “ _Lance!_ ” He ran as fast as his legs could take him back to Lance’s room, the food forgotten on the floor.

—

‘The intruder is after Shiro,’ his instincts whispered to him but it felt like thunder booming in his veins. It was enough for Lance to slip under. He screamed as his bones popped into new alignments and his muscles ripped then reformed.

Shiro stormed into Lance’s room but froze immediately at the terrifying sight. Lance was changing right before his eyes. There was sickening snaps and fierce growling coming from Lance. Lance’s hunched, growing form ripped through his sleeping clothes. He was baring his sharpening teeth.

“Lance…” Shiro breathed out. What was once the blue paladin was now a large wolf. Its eyes shining in the dim light. A guttural growl directed at him. Lance jumped right at him.

Shiro brought up his metal arm to defend himself but not to attack Lance. He could never bring himself to attack him. This- this was still Lance.

Shiro braced himself only for the wolf to miss him completely and breeze right past him. He turned to find Lance about to sink his fangs into a frightening creature. When did that thing sneak into the castle!? It had no eyes but a mouth filled to the brim with jagged teeth. Its long slender body was a dark shade, perfect to remain unseen in the shadows.

There was an ear piercing roar as Lance bit into it. It tried to shake him off but only made sharp claws and fangs tear deeper into its skin.

Shiro was finally startled out of his stupor when the creature flung Lance against the wall eliciting a pained whine from his friend. It started to go after Lance.

“No!” With a yell Shiro slashed at the creature with his plasma hand leaving a deep gash on its side. It made a deafening roar and it’s movements started to get sluggish. Shiro must’ve hit something vital.

It made one last attempt to attack Shiro as he went to get Lance. But the wolf was faster, he jumped in front of him and was slammed into the ground by a heavy tail.

“Lance!” Shiro exclaimed as he went to free him out from under the tail. He dragged him away from the room and locked the door. The creature laid unmoving on the floor inside.

Lance whined softly poking his muzzle at several points on Shiro’s body almost as if searching for injuries on _him_. Shiro chuckled breathlessly at the thought. The tense atmosphere was gone and in its place was the comforting peace he would feel when he was around the human Lance. He smiled as Lance seemed downright docile now.

Shiro tentatively brought his hand up and when Lance didn’t seem threatened, he started to pet him. His chocolate brown fur was really soft. Shiro laughed fondly as Lance responded to his pets with a pleased whine and a wagging tail. “Lance, you have a lot of explaining to do.”


	4. Chapter 4

“Lance, you have a lot of explaining to do.”

Lance perked up at his words. Pointed ears up and he was staring straight at Shiro. He seemed to want to do something but was waiting on Shiro.

Shiro blinked not really understanding but gave his permission for some reason. “Uh… show me?”

Lance got up and started to walk down the hallway but he had a little limp.

“Lance..!” Shiro whispered in concern but the wolf ignored it continuing to the window they would meet at night.

There Lance paused then pointed his nose at the moon. Shiro stared at the glowing orb in the sky, his eyes widening as the pieces started to click in place.

The moon? Lance turning into a wolf? N-no way. It couldn’t be, could it? Lance was a werewolf!? But they’re not real, right? And yet the proof was sitting right in front of him… eating the food goo he dropped.

Oh right… he needed to clean that up. He put his hand between Lance and the spilled goo to get him to stop eating. He spoke gently, “no, no Lance. Don’t eat that. I’ll get you a clean bowl.” He giggled when Lance licked his face covering him in slobber and goo.

As he lead them both to the kitchen to clean them up, he organized his thoughts.

Maybe it wasn’t the planet that was bothering Lance but its moon. So that was why Lance wanted to leave. He didn’t seem to be in total control. Was that normal or just because they were out here in space? Shiro sighed, he wasn’t an expert on werewolf myths and perhaps this was new for Lance too. He should stop wondering about this. Once they left this planet Lance would most likely turn back so he’d just have to wait till then to get an explanation.

When they entered the kitchen Shiro saw Lance swipe a dish towel in his mouth and playfully shake it at him. Oh? Shiro couldn’t stop the grin forming on his face. Was Lance challenging him to a friendly game of tug-o-war? Well Shiro wasn’t one to turn down a challenge and grabbed one end of the piece of cloth.

Maybe Shiro should have thought this through. In their rough-housing they made a mess of the kitchen knocking all sorts of kitchenware and furniture around.

Lance seemed to detect that he might have done something wrong and whined apologetically giving him the saddest pair of puppy eyes this side of the universe. Shiro’s heart squeezed at the sight, it was so adorable. “Oh Lance, it’s alright. I’ll just clean this up then get us some food.”

Shiro started to pick up some of the dishes that had fallen. Then something tapped on his shoulder. It was Lance holding a dish in his mouth seemingly wanting to do his part.

Shiro smiled taking the plate, “Thanks bud.”

Once they cleaned up both the kitchen and themselves and had their fill of food goo Lance led them to the common area.

Shiro wanted to check the perimeter of the castle to make sure more creatures didn’t sneak inside but Lance would always get in the way till he got his way. Shiro huffed stubbornly but followed him.

“You sure nothing else that shouldn’t be here is in the castle?” Lance barked to answer him. Shiro sighed exasperated, “Well, you’ll tell me if something else sneaks in right?” Lance barked again.

Shiro chuckled, “Alright, alright.” It seemed Lance didn’t want Shiro patrolling. Did he want him to relax?

Shiro was sitting on the couch with Lance happily sitting in front of him.

Hmmm… Shiro didn’t really know what to do while they waited for the rest of the team to come back and the thrusters to be fixed. He guessed he could play with Lance for a while, he has been acting like an overgrown puppy. He wouldn’t mind.

Oh wait! He’s seen videos of people with large dogs on their laps practically smothering them and yet it seemed like the owners loved it like they were in heaven. He looked back at Lance who seemed to perk up at the attention. Lance would probably not remember any of this and Shiro didn’t want the opportunity to try it out just fly by.

Shiro patted his lap and tried a simple command to see where it would take him, “Up?”

Shiro laughed and grunted when Lance climbed on top of him and sat on his lap happily wagging his tail. He petted the wolf and buried his face in his velvety soft fur. It was amazing. He couldn’t stop grinning, childlike happiness kept bubbling up in his chest.

Eventually Lance somehow got Shiro to lie on his back on the couch. Lance was sprawled on top of him trapping Shiro underneath. He would whine when Shiro tried to escape. The black paladin sighed not really getting what was happening. Then he let out a big yawn. He hadn’t realized he was tired but it wasn’t surprising a lot of things happened today.

“Ah, did you want me to take a nap Lance?” Shiro let out a surprised giggle when Lance nosed his cheek.

“But what if those creatures-” Lance barked sharply raising head up proud like a protective guard dog. “Oh? You’ll keep look out?” Shiro grinned when Lance barked an affirmation. It seemed a bit silly but he really did felt safe with him.

“You’ll wake me if something dangerous comes by won’t you?” Shiro let out a tiny gasp when Lance booped his nose against his. He smiled fondly and patted him one more time before sleep claimed him.

—

“Shiro… Shiro? Uh, wake up Shiro.” A voice kept repeating his name. It took awhile to break free of the warm, sleepy haze that blanketed him.

Shiro groaned trying to stretch but there was a fluffy weight on top of him. Lance. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes to find the werewolf still on top of him but now Hunk, Coran were standing near the couch. Hunk anxiously looking at him and the wolf. Coran seemed interested in the curious creature that had the black paladin pinned.

Yup, Shiro needed to make some things clear before they misunderstood. He coughed, “Hunk, Coran this is Lance.” Then he turned to Lance wondering why he didn’t wake him up. Relief settled on him when it dawned that Lance did not see his teammates as threats. He petted him whispering a ‘good boy’ as his tail wagged.

“Really!?” Hunk raised an incredulous eyebrow. He visibly deflated in sheer relief when Shiro gave him a serious nod.

At Shiro’s questioning look Hunk answered, “Well, we’re done with the thrusters so we wanted to check up on you two while we wait for everyone else. B-but in Lance’s room… the bed was torn apart and let’s not forget that dead creature in there. I- I thought it might have gotten either of you.”

Coran placed a steadying hand on the yellow paladin’s shoulder. “Ahh, but now as we can see both of you are fine although Lance seems to have changed?”

Shiro nudged Lance off of him as sat up. He nodded. “Yes Hunk, don’t worry we’re fine. Sorry for worrying you. And I know this might sound crazy but I think that Lance is a werewolf.”

That explanation did nothing for Coran except get him more interested. While Hunk gave his leader a look that said ‘are you serious?’

Ok, Lance rolling onto his back silently asking for tummy rubs was definitely not working in his favor. But Shiro remained strong in his reasoning. “I’m sure if we get away from this planet’s moon, he’ll change back then we can ask for more solid answers.”

“Alright… so long as Lance is ok.” Hunk started to cheer up and laughed when he earned a pleased whine from petting Lance.

Shiro turned to face Coran. “Lets wait till Allura’s back so we can explain what a werewolf is to both of you.” Coran nodded in understanding.

“Wait did you get rid of the creature or is it still in Lance’s room?”

Shiro became worried when Hunk had this thousand yard stare as if he’d seen things, terrible things.

Coran perked up twisting his moustache. “Ahh, that creature is a Morrevian. They are a top nocturnal predator of this planet but they are a rich delicacy if you are able to catch them. Not to worry boys, I took the liberty of placing it in a storage unit until I can cook-”

Alright, Shiro stopped listening, he’s pretty sure that thing is gonna end up as lunch but he didn’t want to hear it said out loud. He already felt sick thinking about it.

—

Keith and Pidge looked shaken and pale. Shiro asked them what was the matter. Pidge hugged him and whispered, “there were these slender men creatures we had to hunt. Allura said they were food. Do- do we really have to eat them? They almost ate us. I think I’d rather stick with food goo.” Keith nodded agreeing with her.

Then they noticed the Lance who was beside Shiro. Pidge squealed in delight, “Shiro where did you get a dog!?” She fussed over him even though he was larger than an average dog but they’re in space, space dogs could be whatever size they wanted.

“Uh, Pidge? That’s Lance.”

“What!?” Both Keith and Pidge yelled.

“Yeah, he’s a werewolf.”

Allura who joined in asked, “what is a werewolf?”

As they walked to the control room, the humans began sharing what they knew of werewolf myths. Just the general info since they would get more accurate answers from Lance.

“How fascinating, there are shapeshifting humans as well even if it is a bit limited by the moon.” Coran eyes twinkled with excitement from this new discovery.

Hunk confirmed with a nod. “Yeah, just not all humans can do it so keep that in mind.”

The princess was at the controls getting the castle ready for take-off. Keith noticed the blanket Shiro was covering Lance with. Shiro blushed embarrassed, “Lance kind of ripped through his sleepwear, pretty sure he’d be naked when he transforms back.”

“Oh.”

They started to leave the planet’s orbit. Everyone turned to Lance alarmed when he whined in pain curling in on himself. His form started to shrink, his fur receding. They winced as they heard bones popping back into their usual alignment.

Soon Lance was back into a human, groaning as he clutched his head. “Oh… my head,” then he noticed his condition and grabbed the blanket tighter around himself, “my clothes!”

Lance muttered to himself, “ugh, I transformed didn’t I?”

Shiro knelt next to him. “Yes, you did. Are you alright Lance?”

“Ah! Shiro, did I- did I hurt you!?” His voice full of guilt and concern.

“No, of course not. Do you really not remember what happened?” Lance shook his head.

Coran cut in, he was holding Lance’s clothes out to him. “Sorry to interrupt but maybe we can discuss this further in the dining area after you get dressed up. Hmm?”

—

Lance explained that werewolves has a deep connection with the moon or some moons out in space for that matter. If there was some power there then he would feel a pull and he could transform. Transformation happens easier at night when the moon is out but if the pull is strong enough then he could transform in the day.

After the gist of his explaining he apologised to everyone for being scared to tell them and keeping it a secret.

“Aww Lance, it’s alright. But do you usually lose control as a werewolf or-? Hunk asked as he hugged Lance.

“I think it was just that specific moon. It’s pull was pretty powerful, that’s why I was struggling so much to keep from transforming.”

“How about silver? Are you vulnerable to silver bullets?” Keith asked, it was one of the few myths about werewolves he heard.

“Eeh, not really. Also anyone would die if they were shot through the heart with a silver bullet.”

“How about turning other people into werewolves, is that a thing?” It was Pidge’s question, her eyes bright with curiosity.

“Yeah but it’s actually been a long time since a werewolf turned anyone. We try to keep to ourselves and only turn people if we really need to.”

“You can make others into your kind?” Allura was quite surprised to learn there were such things on their planet.

“Yup.”

“Are there any abilities you retain while human? We can find how we can apply them to combat. We can wait till we get to a suitable planet to work with your wolf form.”

“Well, my hearing and smell is still pretty strong even when human. Oh! We werewolves boast fast healing and regenerative bodies but that’s usually when the moon is out.” Allura nodded absorbing the new knowledge.

She clapped her hands when everyone seemed satisfied with his answered. She dismissed everyone so the could rest up for tomorrow. Everyone quickly shuffled out leaving Lance and Shiro walking slowly back to their room.

They stopped at the window and Shiro said, “So those times I met you here looking out the window was-?”

“-because I was looking for the moon. Sometimes it’ll be here and sometimes not. I just wanted some reminder of home. Although, I did enjoy our times together looking out this window even if did catch me off guard most of the time.” Shiro huffed a chuckle remembering the times Lance would threaten to put a bell on him.

Lance smiled fondly. “Some of the moons out here have a different personalities to them. They’re pretty unique and they have wonderful songs to listen to.”

“Songs? The moon sings?”

“Yeah, it’s a bit hard to explain but it’s like a voice we can hear from the moon. Earth’s moon had a soothing voice. The other planet’s moon was really cautious. Even if it’s pull was strong, I think it was just wanted to warn me or keep me on my toes as a wolf.”

“I’m glad you weren’t suffering from something too serious. You seemed to be in a lot of pain.”

Lance’s face fell. “I’m sorry, Shiro. I didn’t mean to worry you and everyone so much.”

“It’s alright Lance, I’m just glad you’re fine now.”

The mood could be a little more lighter so Lance puffed out his chest and proclaimed, “of course! It takes a lot to keep a werewolf down.”

Shiro chuckled warmly but soon faded. “I just wish I could have helped you more while you were struggling. I know that you’ve been helping me with my problems and I wanted to do same for you.”

“Shiro…” Maybe words won’t be enough to show how grateful he was so he had to show it through affection. So he pulled Shiro into a strong hug nuzzling against his neck and hushed a whisper full of gratitude. “Thank you for looking out for me. You might not have fully understood -and that’s my fault- but you were trying to take care of me in a moment of need. It really means alot to me.”

Shiro blushed completely stunned. He slowly brought his arms up to return the hug. Lance’s words warmed his heart and he couldn’t stop smiling.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some fluff first.

A teasing smirk formed on Shiro’s face. “Course I would look after you. You were acting like a big overgrown puppy.” He laughed heart light at Lance’s indignant squawk.

“Did I really!?” Lance tried to pull back from the embrace but Shiro held tight. So he settled for hiding his flustered blush in his shoulder. He couldn’t remember so it was hard to tell if Shiro was just teasing him or not.

Lance shook his head and denied it. “Don’t remember, didn’t happen.”

Shiro snorted finally letting go. “Fine, fine. I’ll just ask Pidge or Coran for the camera videos so I can show everyone.”

Lance yelped then covered his face releasing an embarrassed whine. Oh- he really wasn’t lying.

Shiro decided to have mercy on him and stopped his teasing, “Okay, I’ll stop. But I’ll have you know you know that while you were playful and adorable, it was almost like you were looking after me. So really, thank you.”

“Shiro…” Lance stared for a moment eyes wide in awe then he ducked away a shy smile gracing his face.

It was getting late so they started walking back to their room until they approached Lance room. Lance stopped abruptly holding his nose. “Ugh, it smells like something died recently then someone bleached the scene with some hardcore cleaner.”

A chill went down Shiro’s spine and he shuddered. He couldn’t smell what Lance smelled but he knew exactly what he was talking about. He remembered how that thing might end up as a dish they would have to eat. Lance must remain blissfully unaware. It was for his own good. Maybe, just maybe Lance would like it if he didn’t know where it came from and appease Coran for awhile.

Shiro internally apologized to Lance, he would make it up to him eventually.

He was drawn out out of his thoughts when Lance spoke up, “Hey, Shiro? Can I bunk with you?”

“Huh? Why?”

“My sense of smell is strong. The smell will bother me for maybe a day while it airs out. And werewolves are pack oriented, I kinda missed sleeping with my pack close by…” Lance quietly trailed off.

He blushed and quickly rambled, “You don’t have to agree if you don’t want to! N-nevermind! I’ll just find another guest room-”

“Lance. It’s fine, really. You should have said something earlier, we could do a sleepover with everyone one day. Our little team is family too. I won’t force you to open up so readily but just know that you don’t have to keep hiding what makes you a werewolf to keep appearances. You can ask for things to make you more comfortable. We’ll understand.” Shiro gave him a soft, patient smile which Lance gratefully returned.

“Thanks.”

Trying to keep up the human act for other humans was more of a habit now but it meant a lot that he could be more open to his team- no, his pack. His space pack.

* * *

Shiro woke up when he felt the castle rumble. He could tell it that the castle was landing on a planet. He felt a warm presence beside him.

Oh yeah, it was Lance. He was worried that he might have nightmares and wake both of them up but thankfully it seemed that was not the case.

Lance’s chest moving slightly from slow, even breathing. He had a peaceful look on his face as he slept.

Shiro choked needing to do a double take. Lance’s human ears seemed to have become fluffy wolf ears on the top of his head. He also had his wolf tail and yet the rest of him remained human.

Before he even thought about it, he reached it and gently scratched behind one of the wolf ears. He grew a bright grin when Lance made a happy whine. His tail lightly thumped at the bed trying to wag. Such a cute sight.

Shiro drew his hand away as if he was burned. Lance was starting to wake up. He gave him a sleepy smile. “Mornin’.”

“Good uh, morning.”

Lance sat up rubbing his eye. “Shiro, something wrong?”

He hesitantly pointed at the wolf tail. “Erm, is that usual or…” Shiro knew he told Lance he could be more open but it was kinda fast and was this the norm?

Lance’s eyes traced what Shiro was pointing at and his eyes nearly bugged out of his head at the sight. He was fully awake now. He scrambled off the bed and into Shiro’s bathroom to see if there were other changes he didn’t know about.

Shiro flinched when he heard Lance yell. This must not be usual then. He got up to check on Lance. “We landed on a new planet. Maybe it’s because of its moon?” Shiro offered.

They were walking to the dining area. Shiro managed to convince Lance to keep his hood off when he tried to hide his ears. Now Lance seemed to be concentrating on an unseen force probably the pull of the moon.

As soon as they entered everyone’s eyes were on them. Lance’s ears tilted back, his blush returning and his tail drooped. Shiro felt bad, maybe he should have let Lance put his hood up. The blue paladin was rather keen about his appearance.

It was quiet until Pidge blurted out, “I knew something would happen!” Allura nodded along.

“It was you! Et tu, Allura?!” The princess shrugged sheepishly as Lance accused both of them.

Everyone else seemed confused except Coran. “They wanted to see how a planet with multiple moons would affect you. The planet we’re on has two moons.”

“Oh, that would explain it.” At his team’s eager looks he continued, “I could feel two pulls. It’s kind of like they’re playing tug-o-war with me in the middle. One of them is slightly stronger than the other. Ugh, guess this is why I’m stuck in some mid-transformation.”

Lance didn’t notice Hunk get closer. He felt lovely scritches behind his ear and let out a sudden, pleased whine. Everyone smiled at the soft sound.

He quickly caught himself and jerked back betrayed. “Hunk!”

“Heh, sorry!” He didn’t look sorry, “just checking if you like scratches and pets.”

Even Keith started teasing, “you were like a puppy before.”

Lance put his hand on his chest in mock offense. “Petting always feel nice. A-and I’m not a puppy, I’m a fierce wolf! Besides, would you rather have me aggressive?”

“Enough, Keith don’t answer that and Lance you know he hardly meant anything by that.” Shiro cut in, nipping the bud before an argument broke out.

He sighed, he would just play along if Lance wanted to hide how soft he was deep down.

Pidge went up to Lance offering a change of subjects asking if dogs and cats had rivalries. Lance gasped, “that’s just a myth! If that was true, me and Blue would never get along. Me and beautiful are best buds for life.” He could feel Blue purring in the back of his mind.

Then he quietly grumbled as if he had experience in the matter, “besides, cats are the ones who hold grudges for seven years.”

Pidge nodded then suddenly yelled struck by inspiration. “The moons’ pull is strong enough right? Can we see you change?”

Allura smiled brightly. “Yes! It would be nice to see an Earth shapeshifter in action.”

Lance clutched at his clothes protectively. “Hey! I only have one set of clothes here and I like them whole thanks. I’m lucky I ripped only my pajamas before. The castle has lots of them.”

Pidge rolled her eyes and pointed out his current form. “So partial transformation is out of the question? How about just your hand?”

Lance blushed. He didn’t really think about it. Usually transformations were all or nothing. Wolf or human. One or the other. Welp, he was out in space with different moons. There’s a first time for everything he supposed.

He took off his jacket and pulled his sleeve up. Lance concentrated on shifting just his hand. Before their eyes, nails turned to claws, fur covered his hand like a long glove.

“Whoa.” The green paladin breathed.

“Lance?” Shiro grew concerned when Lance scrunched up his face in effort. When he seemed to let go, his hand reverted back.

“It’s the pulling in opposite directions. I can’t really deviate from this default form without putting all my focus on it.”

Keith spoke up this time, “does it hurt? Altean shapeshifting doesn’t seem too.” Allura nodded her head confirming that they felt no pain when they shift.

“It does, yeah.” At the team’s worried expressions he quickly added, “But we get used to it, honest, it really is natural to feel some pain when transforming. It’s nothing to worry about.”

They didn’t seem quite convinced but thankfully didn’t question further.

The mood needed some lifting and Hunk thought of one thing, he took an empty dish and threw it like a frisbee. Thanks to his strong arms it flew far and fast. “Fetch, Lance!”

Lance’s eyes gleamed. It was like he was back home playing with his uncle. He and his siblings would compete to try and catch the frisbee he tossed. It was to strengthen their werewolf muscles. He made a break for it. Unconsciously he started to run on all fours to gain more speed. He jumped and caught it in his mouth.

There was some impressed applause and cheeky laughter. Lance took the dish from his mouth and muttered, “I can’t believe I just did that.” But he was internally happy that everyone started to cheer up.

—

Allura suggested that they train to which everyone groaned. They came up with new exercises with Lance’s werewolf senses in mind.

As Lance returned to the common area after showering, he found Shiro discussing something with everyone.

“Lance! You’re here.” Shiro acknowledged.

He was about to say more till Pidge interrupted. “Hey, Lance? Werewolves have packs right? We’re a pack right? Do you scent each other cause even if we can’t you can with us.”

Lance turned to Shiro for some explanations. He chuckled sheepishly, “I told everyone how you said werewolves were pack oriented and things escalated to how we can bond better with that side of you. But only if you’re comfortable. We’ll stop if you need some time. Right, Pidge?” He tilted his head towards her.

She smiled weakly. Then Lance hugged her. “Aww, Pidge ‘course you’re part of my pack. All of you are.” Everyone joined in the hug.

Hunk eyes widened when something hit him. “Wait don’t dogs or wolves scent things by-”

Lance slapped his hand over his mouth. “Let me stop you right there. Yes, but that’s for territories. But for pack we kinda just rub our scent glands on each other. It’s kinda like rubbing our necks against one another since there is one there. To other people it looks like an intimate hug or something.”

Keith, ever the straightforwardly blunt kind of guy said, “You said we’re pack though, family right? So you can do that for us too.”

Lance laughed warmly, “Ok, I get it. But are you alright with it? You don’t seem like the touchy feely guy and that’s alright. I’ll respect any personal boundaries you need.”

Keith was open to it, seemed like their little tight knit group was important to him.

Everyone had a turn to get a scenting hug from him. With Keith being the last one. Lance caught a strange scent that startled him. His mind offered a picture of Sendak although it wasn’t specifically about him. No, his scent reminded him of Galra!

Keith picked up that something bothered Lance. The werewolf quickly made something up. “It’s nothing, just your greasy mullet.”

That managed to ruffle his feathers. His nerves calmed down. Yup, this was still Keith. A member of his pack.


	6. Chapter 6

The castle ship picked up a distress beacon and naturally they headed towards the planet it came from. The planet had long days and nights which Allura needed to calm and sort out the furious leaders of the kingdoms Tabtheria and Lurarr. Apparently, two kingdoms there fighting each other.

The castle was docked in a neutral area quite a ways from the feuding kingdoms in the calm night. Hunk, Pidge, and Lance were waiting on standby for Allura’s orders in the lounge. But it seems the leaders weren’t making it easy for her. Keith was feeling restless wanting to get to the action now so Shiro dragged him to the training deck to release some energy.

It was getting pretty boring just waiting so Hunk started tinkering with something that looked like he had pried off the wall.

Pidge gasped as an idea hit her. It was nighttime on the planet and the moon was overhead. She asked if Lance could transform for her to get a closer look at a full transformation. Lance stared at her for a moment, for a second there he thought he could hear a quiver in her voice. It was faint but was there a hint of longing in it?

Lance smiled at her and ruffled her hair. “Sure thing Pidge.” He got up to change out of his armor.

He closed his eyes, concentrating on the pull from the moon and transformed into his proud wolf form.

Lance remembered Pidge showing him a picture of her dog that was back on Earth. And judging by the way she wasn’t so much as observing but rather petting and giving pleasing scratches, Pidge missed him. Lance knew he was no replacement or even close to the size of her dog but she needed this and Lance didn’t mind at all. Petting was pretty therapeutic for both parties. His tail wagged and he whined happily when she complimented his soft, soft fur. He sat a little straighter obviously proud of his fur coat, he worked hard to keep it nice and soft.

Shiro and Keith returned to the lounge area after a nice shower. Shiro was half expecting the other three paladins to bored out of their minds waiting for any news.

Only to be pleasantly surprised at the sight before him. It was a great big cuddle pile with a familiar lump of fur in the middle looking quite pleased with himself.

Hunk was sitting up back against Lance still working on his project and Pidge was curled up on Lance snoozing away on her fluffy pillow. He looked up at the two as they entered and waved at them. “Hey guys, join in on the fun.” Lance huffed playfully as Hunk patted Lance where there was extra space to lean against him too.

Shiro chuckled and headed down to the center of the couch circle. He snuggled into warm, soft fur. He smiled as he saw Keith join in too next to Hunk. It was nice to see him spending leisure time with his friends.

Shiro kept a groan to himself as snuggle time was cut short as Coran called them all to the bridge.

—

Allura managed get the leaders to reluctantly sign peace treaties and offer aid in their fight against the galra. Although she’s pretty sure the leaders will just treat it as a temporary ceasefire. They will split up trying settle the peace treaties on each side. It’s not going great on either side. The king of Tabtheria on Allura’s side keeps saying that the Lurarr king is exceptionally dangerous. Some of his scouts have gone missing over there and never returned.  
  
While Shiro and Lance (Lance was chosen to go bc that kingdom has lots of wolf-esque motifs) headed up the castle they find a beast attacking a guard. The beast looked akin to Lance’s own werewolf form but it’s fur stuck out like tough spikes on its neck, shoulders and upper thighs. They helped capture it by blocking it from escaping as it many guards wrangled it down with ropes. It’s growling aggressively at them.

Lance was unsettled and stared helplessly as the guards dragged it away. He jumped when Shiro placed a hand on his shoulder, a concerned look etched on his face. “Are you okay?”

“I can understand most animals especially canine ones… at least on Earth. They say there’s no such thing as a feral animal just a scared one. But that creature, it was so angry like it needed to attack everything in its sight. You know, and that it looked like a werewolf too… Ah! Don’t worry, I’m fine just kinda freaked out about it.” He hopes it’s just that it’s an alien animal to explain why he can’t understand it.

Shiro opened his mouth to reassure him but was interrupted when a guard who went to report to the king arrived to invite them to the castle. He was throwing a ball and gave them guest rooms.  
  
At the fancy party, Lance was suspicious of the drink he was given so he doesn’t take a sip, his gut was filled with dread. This kingdom have been giving him the heebie-jeebies ever since they entered the place. There was a faint salty smell coming from it. He dropped his drink when he realizes. _Their drinks were spiked._ He rushed to get to Shiro to warn him weaving through the crowd with hastily mumbled “sorry’s” and “excuse me’s”.

 _No!_ Lance’s eyes widened when he saw Shiro swallow his drink.


	7. Chapter 7

Shiro looked like he was having a conversation with Lurarrian woman. Being invited to the party meant that like all the others, she was of some importance maybe even had some connection to the king. That’s what they were here for too, to make a good impression for the king so he will sign the peace treaty. But nevermind that, Lance had to get Shiro away from here without making a scene or arouse any suspicion. He could do this.

“Excuse me, but may I borrow him for a moment? Paladin business, you know how it is. By the way, love the dress.” Nailed it.

Shiro tilted his head a bit, that didn’t have Lance’s usual flare when he was flirting or complimenting alien ladies. It even sounded a little strained. Shiro followed Lance’s eyes to the lady’s dress. Oh! The edges were elegantly lined with fur… it couldn’t be real, could it?

Without even waiting for an answer Lance dragged Shiro away -with much more strength than he expected- from the ballroom and into the hallway.  
  
“Lance!? What are you doing!?” Shiro hissed. But soon he felt weird, the room spun for a second and it became hard to balance himself on his legs. His knees buckled but Lance caught him before he fell while he clutched his head.  
  
“Shiro, our drinks were spiked! I’m gonna take us to an empty room to hide while you either rest or fight it off, ok?” He couldn’t shake the feeling that they were in danger.  
  
Shiro nodded, trusting Lance.

Lance led them to an unused room that wasn’t the room given to them by their ‘grateful hosts’.

He kept the light dimmed to a minimum just enough for Shiro to see but dark enough to lead others to believe it was empty. He got Shiro to lean on the bedside. Shiro was fighting hard to stay conscious though his movements started to get lethargic.

Lance gently patted his cheek to get his attention. “Shiro, I’m going to contact the others alright? Keep fighting, Shiro.” He whispered to which Shiro nodded.

Lance leaned back and tapped the coms calling the rest of the team in a hushed whisper. “Keith, we need an extraction now.”

Keith responded his voice unconsciously lowering to match his. “Why? Is something wrong?”

“You bet there is. They drugged Shiro, they were trying to drug us,” Lance frowned sending an apologetic look to the man in question, “I didn’t take a sip of my drink. But I realized too late what the salty smell coming from my drink was to warn Shiro in time. Don’t worry, he’s with me in one of the empty guest rooms at the castle. We’re hiding from the people here. I’ll tell you guys more after you get us out of here. It’s just everything here seems so suspicious-”

Lance gasped then shushed Keith as he was trying to get more information from him. Shiro sent him a concerned worried look. Lance squeezed his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him but there was someone here.

He had hardly any time to react before feeling like lighting was coursing through his body. He hardly registered screaming let alone Shiro and Keith yelling his name.

Lance collapsed with a muffled thud. Shiro shakily tried to sit up, the edges of his vision were getting blurry. “Lance…”

A lone figure wearing the uniform of the Lurarr guards, the helmet covering his eyes, and holding what looked like a sparking  taser gun entered his vision. What little light it produced painted haunting shadows across the stanger’s face.

Shiro’s wobbling arms couldn’t support him any longer, falling back down on the bed. His eyes shutting at the light impact and he struggled to open them again. His body was dragging, it felt like it was made of lead. Shiro let out one last whisper not knowing if he can stay awake to hear the answer, “why..?”

“Shh… soon you won’t have to worry about any of that.” He stepped closer to the black paladin when he was suddenly tackled to the ground. His taser clattering as it was knocked away from him.

“You, leave Shiro alone!” Lance growled, the protective aggression reverberating throughout the room. He kept a tight hold on the guy keeping him from escaping and slowly started dragging him away from the bed, away from Shiro. His whole body was shaking and twitching from muscle spasms from lingering jolts of electricity but this guy had better think again if he thought Lance was just gonna give up.

“How?! How are you still conscious?!” He squirmed around trying to elbow Lance or attempt anything to free himself.

Lance dragged them near a window on the far side of the room, the curtain held back by thick elegant rope showing the dark night sky. The clouds covered the moon further impeding any natural light source. Lance thanked his werewolf heritage for being able to see easily with little light.

He used the rope from the curtains to tie up the stranger to a chair. Lance wanted to get some information out of him before ultimately knocking him unconscious, “why? Why are you doing this? We just want a peace treaty and maybe even get your kingdom to join the coalition . If you didn’t want either, you’re king could’ve just said no.”

“I am not working for the king. What he wants is no concern of mine. The fool doesn’t even know what is happening beneath his nose. Myself and those I work with don’t need Voltron to protect us. _We serve the galra_.” He sneered at Lance’s shocked expression. “Our researchers are aiding the galra with genetic modification experiments and two more healthy volunteers especially the famous Voltron paladins will make for interesting results.”

Lance felt his blood grow cold. The distress signal! Allura told them it actually was not sent by either king but a lady from Tabtheria, the sister of someone who went missing. She blamed it on the useless war and her king probably drafting able-bodied people to fight. B–But what if–

His mind supplemented him with a chilling reminder of the wolf-beast they saw outside the castle.

Wait! This was too easy. Why was this guy just telling him this? The guy didn’t even look too worried…

Quiznack! Lance quickly turned around and dodged another taser gun. Of course, this guy wouldn’t be alone. His senses must have been messed up from the previous shock. Lance put some distance between them so he could use his bayard more effectively. He had a clear shot at the second henchman.

“Stop! Put your weapon away!”

Lance growled through his teeth, great more reinforcements for the enemy, where were _his_ reinforcements? Lance turned and gasped, instantly letting his bayard de-materialize. He put his hands up surrendering.

A third “guard” was there next to Shiro, holding a syringe filled with a glowing fluid dangerously close to the unconscious man.

“Alright! There! It’s gone. Just don’t, please.” Shiro’s already been through enough. Lance’s chest was tight with the thought of not being able to protect him from this “Me! You can take me, just don’t hurt him, please–”

Lance froze in horror, wide-eyed and helpless, as the third henchman ignored his pleas and plunged the syringe into Shiro’s arm anyway. Lance yelled, “No– aaaahhhh!!”

Lance screamed, electricity once again stunning his body, this time it was the joint efforts of the first two henchmen. He couldn’t take anymore, slowly slipping unconscious as well, only able to catch a few whispers before everything faded away, “Bind the blue one up more, he’s a feisty one alright. Look…Black Pal–… already changing…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :o

**Author's Note:**

> Lance doesn't mind being a therapy dog or being petted as he loves attention and it works well to calm or distract others.
> 
> I hope this is alright since I have hardly any experience with therapy dogs. I did some research and hope I portrayed it good enough.


End file.
